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The world has a food price problem, not a food price volatility problem

"Food price levels are at historic highs, but food price volatility, although high these past few years, is not out of line with historical experience and is generally lower than it was in the 1970s.

14 Jul 2011

Verastem raises $32 million to develop targeted cancer stem cell therapies

Verastem, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing drugs to treat breast and other cancers by targeting cancer stem cells, announced today that it has raised $32 million through a Series B financing. Proceeds from the financing will support ongoing research and development and will progress drug candidates into clinical development. The first candidate is projected to enter the clinic in 2012.

14 Jul 2011

New survey on access to HIV prevention and treatment among MSM

A new survey (.pdf) of more than 5,000 men who have sex with men (MSM), conducted by the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF), "has shown that less than half of MSM around the world have easy access to lifesaving HIV prevention and treatment services," according to an MSMGF press release.

14 Jul 2011

FDA grants Novian Health IDE approval for Novilase ILT System to treat breast cancer

Novian Health, developer of Novilase® Breast Therapy, announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted investigational device exemption (IDE) approval for the company to start a multi-center study of its Novilase® Interstitial Laser Therapy (ILT) System. Novian developed the ILT System for the ablation of small (up to 20 mm) malignant breast tumors.

14 Jul 2011

Global health community reacts to CIA's faux vaccine operation in Pakistan

After the Guardian broke the story that the CIA organized a fake vaccination program in Pakistan in an effort to confirm the location of Osama bin Laden and obtain DNA from his family members, several writers and health experts reacted to the situation, noting the possible implications for health.

14 Jul 2011

Michael J. Fox Foundation awards Impax $400,000 grant for research of IPX066 for Parkinson’s disease

Impax Pharmaceuticals, the branded products division of Impax Laboratories, Inc., has been awarded funding of up to $400,000 by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for ongoing clinical research of the Company's investigational carbidopa-levodopa extended release (CD-LD ER) product IPX066, which is intended to treat the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD).

14 Jul 2011

Device that crowd-sources water quality introduced at TEDGlobal conference

Researchers at the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, this week described a device that crowd-sources water quality to "chec[k] supplies in real-time, alerting users to possible infections," and "upload[s] the data, allowing scientists to monitor the location and movement of outbreaks," BBC News reports

14 Jul 2011

Eli Lilly makes charitable contribution to Patient Advocate Foundation

Eli Lilly and Company announced that it has made a charitable contribution to the Patient Advocate Foundation.

14 Jul 2011

Safety guidelines for preventing injuries from gasoline

Summer is in full swing and injuries from gasoline and other accelerants are on the rise. The University of Michigan Health System's Trauma Burn Center saw 14 such burns in the past month.

14 Jul 2011

Two promising projects focus on new treatments for cystic fibrosis

Two promising projects have been selected to undergo preclinical testing as part of the Cystic Fibrosis Technology Initiative.

14 Jul 2011

Study examines psychological problems among adopted children

Over 4,000 international adoptions take place in Spain every year. Although the process of adaptation of these children is very similar to that of those living with their biological parents, some studies show that they are more prone to being hyperactive, to having behavioural problems, a low self-esteem and doing poorly in school.

14 Jul 2011

Study finds structural determinants of adolescent girls' vulnerability to HIV

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that community members correlate an increase in HIV vulnerability among adolescent girls with weak structural support systems.

14 Jul 2011

Two new studies support use of PrEP for HIV prevention among heterosexual men and women

"Two new studies done in three African countries have shown for the first time that AIDS drugs taken daily can cut by more than half a person's chance of becoming infected with HIV through heterosexual intercourse," the Washington Post reports.

14 Jul 2011

USPTO awards patent for Convergen LifeSciences' CNVN202 to treat lung cancer

Convergen LifeSciences, Inc. announced today that another United States Patent 7,977,468 has been awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office jointly to The University of Texas System Board of Regents and The Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

14 Jul 2011

DVS Sciences completes $14.6M series A financing

The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and DVS Sciences Inc., today announced that DVS Sciences has completed a $14.6 million series A financing.

14 Jul 2011

Studies show AIDS drugs can prevent heterosexuals from acquiring HIV

Two new studies released early Wednesday show that AIDS drugs can prevent heterosexuals from acquiring HIV, adding to a growing number of new methods to slow the spread of the virus world-wide.

14 Jul 2011

New paper provides unique review on respiratory disorders in the Middle East

Lung diseases in the Middle East range from the centuries-old pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) to modern manifestations caused by chemical warfare. A new paper now available in Respirology, a journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, provides pulmonologists and patients with the first comprehensive review of respiratory illnesses specific to the Persian Gulf region, and the challenges in treating them.

14 Jul 2011

Hopes dim for debt-limit deal

As President Barack Obama issued dire warnings about what will happen if lawmakers fail to raise the debt ceiling, one GOP leader advanced a "last-choice option" to avoid the consequences of failing to come to terms on a deficit-reduction package. Meanwhile, other news outlets offer advice on how to break the impasse.

14 Jul 2011

Mary Ann Liebert launches new journal on games, human health

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. announces the launch of Games for Health: Research, Development, and Clinical Applications (G4H), a new, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the development, use, and applications of game technology for improving physical and mental health and well-being.

14 Jul 2011

Insurance commissioners back away from supporting broker bill

State insurance regulators won't vote any time soon on whether to endorse a bill that would exempt insurance agents from part of health care reform. A task force of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners recently recommended endorsing the bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Rogers, that would carve out agents' and brokers' commissions from a section of the new law that limits how much insurance companies can spend on administrative costs.

14 Jul 2011